This easy Spatchcock Chicken roasts over cauliflower, onions, garlic, and herbs with a savory mustard crust. A flavorful one-pan chicken dinner that’s beautifully crispy and juicy. Video.
What is it about fall that always makes me want to roast a chicken and bake bread? It is the same every year. Cozy, warm, comfort food – don’t you just love this time of year?
The best part of this roast chicken might just be the drippins’ cauliflower underneath it. As the spatchcock chicken roasts, its savory juices drip onto a bed of cauliflower, onions, whole garlic cloves, and herbs, creating deeply flavorful, caramelized vegetables beneath.
A simple whole-grain mustard marinade gives the chicken a beautifully savory crust, while spatchcocking helps it cook quickly and evenly with deliciously crisp skin. Everything roasts together in one pan for a cozy, rustic dinner that’s impressive enough for Sunday supper or entertaining, yet surprisingly simple to make. It requires about 15-20 minutes of prep, and the oven does the rest of the work.
Watch how to spatchcock a chicken
What you’ll need
- Whole chicken: Spatchcocking, or butterflying, the chicken helps it roast more quickly and evenly while giving you plenty of beautifully crisp skin.
- Cauliflower: Roasts underneath the chicken, soaking up all those flavorful pan juices and becoming golden and caramelized around the edges.
- Whole-grain mustard: Creates a savory, tangy coating for the chicken. Use all whole-grain mustard or combine it with Dijon for a smoother, punchier flavor.
- Onion and garlic: Roast alongside the cauliflower, becoming sweet, tender, and deeply savory.
- Fresh herbs: Sage, thyme, or rosemary all work beautifully with the mustard and roasted chicken.
- Olive oil: Helps the chicken and vegetables brown and carries all those savory flavors.
- Salt and pepper: Season the chicken generously for the best flavor and crispest skin.
How to make Spatchcock Chicken
Step 1. Make the Drippin’s Cauliflower. Before starting on the chicken, prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet. Slice the cauliflower into steaks about ½-¾ inch thick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a very light drizzling of olive oil. Add sliced onion and garlic cloves if you like and a scattering of herbs like thyme, sage or rosemary.
Step 2. Spatchcock the chicken. Place the chicken breast-side down on a flat surface. Remove the neck and organs from the cavity. 
Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along each side of the backbone, removing the backbone (saving it for stock if you like). Open the chicken like a book and find the lower tip of the breast bone in the cavity. Slicing the flesh there at that point will allow the bone to protrude out and the bird to flatten more easily.
Step 3. Flip and smash. Turn the chicken over and, using the heel of your hand, press down hard, flattening the breastbone. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Tip: Save the leftover bones and tidbits for chicken broth, which can be frozen and used for soups and stews later on.
Step 4: Brush with the whole grain mustard marinade and bake! You can do this ahead up to this point, refrigerate, and bake the next day.
When it comes out, it will be deliciously golden, juicy, and tender with tasty browned bits. Spoon the flavorful pan juices over the cauliflower. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before cutting into it. Then go to town!
Storage & Make Ahead
Make ahead: Spatchcock and season the chicken up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it uncovered for even crispier skin. The cauliflower, onion, garlic, and herbs can also be prepped a day ahead and stored separately. Assemble and roast just before serving.
Storage: Store leftover chicken and roasted vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. For crispier skin, place the chicken under the broiler for a minute or two at the end, watching carefully.
Serving suggestions
Serve with a crisp green salad, like our classic Caesar. For a cozier meal, make popovers or biscuits.
More Chicken Recipes You May Like
- Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken
- Gorgonzola Chicken with Mushrooms & Sage
- How to Roast a Whole Chicken!
- Lebanese Chicken with 7-Spice
- Chicken Mole
- Chicken Marsala
One-Pan Crispy Spatchcock Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 4-5 1x
- Category: chicken dinner, dinner idea, dinner recipe, entertaining, low carb, Main, one pan meal, sheet pan dinner
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Gluten-Free, high fiber, high protein, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo
Description
This easy Spatchcock Chicken roasts over cauliflower, onions, garlic, and herbs with a savory mustard crust. A flavorful one-pan chicken dinner that’s beautifully crispy and juicy. With a video!
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 8 cloves garlic – whole
- small handful savory herbs- sage, thyme or rosemary
- salt & pepper to taste
- olive oil for drizzling
- 1 whole Chicken- Spatchcocked (butterflied)
- salt and pepper to taste
Marinade
- 1/2 cup whole grain mustard or a mix of whole grain and dijon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch salt
- 1 whole Chicken- Spatchcocked (butterflied)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Prep the sheet pan. Slice cauliflower into “steaks” about ½ inch -¾ inch thick, green parts and all. Place them on a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet. Scatter sliced onions, whole garlic cloves and sprigs of herbs over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with a very light drizzle of olive oil.
- Make the Glaze. In a small bowl, mix mustard, oil, and a pinch of salt.
- Spatchcock the chicken (See the video). Place the chicken on a cutting board, backside up, breastbone down. Using sturdy kitchen scissors, cut along each side of the backbone, removing it, saving it for stock. Open the chicken like a book, find the lower tip of the breastbone, and slice the flesh open at that point so the tip can protrude. Turn the chicken over, spread apart, and press down hard on the breastbone with the heel of your hand to flatten.
- Season. Sprinkle the inside and outside generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, breast side up, over the cauliflower, pressing down to flatten it.
- Glaze the Chicken. Brush or rub the skin side of the chicken with the mustard marinade ( saving 1-2 tablespoons for basting), getting all the nooks and crannies. Place it as flat as you can, opened up, over the cauliflower, pressing the breast down one more time.
- Bake. Place in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. Baste with the remaining mustard, and if there are pan juices (there may not be yet), spoon some over the cauliflower, then bake for another 10-20 minutes, until cooked through. Bake until the thigh, at its thickest part, reaches 170°F or the juices run clear.
- Rest it. Pull it out of the oven, and when you tilt the pan, you will see clear pan juices- spoon this flavorful juice over the exposed cauliflower. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
The leftover chicken will keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Use the carcass or bones to make flavorful chicken broth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ounce piece chicken (skin-on) w/ cauliflower
- Calories: 453
- Sugar: 5.5 g
- Sodium: 445.3 mg
- Fat: 26.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.5 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 40.1 g
- Cholesterol: 149.2 mg
I loved this! I had a big bunch of tarragon so I added some to the mustard and olive oil marinade. It was amazing! And the cauliflower was so flavorful with all of the herbs, garlic, and juices from the chicken. I usualky use potatoes, carrots and onion in the pan but cauliflower is a great low carb option. Thanks!
Great to hear Pam!
So easy and so delicious !
Glad you enjoyed Lindsay!
This looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to make it… Well said about the changing season…
Faye
Thanks! Let us know when you give it a try!
I was looking for something flavorful and easy for the chicken that needed to be cooked today. This was excellent and fit the bill. I’m used to spatchcocking a chicken and in less then 10 minutes this was in the oven. The onion and cauliflower were nicely cooked. Everything had a great roasted flavor. The picky husband who doesn’t usually like chicken raved about it. It was well cooked (as he likes it) but yet so moist. Thanks for another great one!
Oh good Trudy! Glad this worked well for you!
This is a great weeknight chicken recipe. I’ve made it twice already. The second time I added some lemon juice and a little Italian seasoning to the mustard mixture. It was so juicy & flavorful! I will definitely be making this again.
Awesome Sasha! Love it!
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make! I prepared everything the night before and refrigerated until I was ready to heat up the oven. The leftovers were even more tasty than the first night, if that is even possible!
Awww… thanks Sonna- glad you enjoyed this!❤️
Our dinner guests raved! I know whenever I make one of your recipes it’s going to be fabulous. And I never worry about trying it first before making it for company. The only wee issue, I used an open range chicken from a local farm. Because it was so lean, there weren’t any pan juices. A little fresh lemon juice serviced just fine & brightened the flavor of the cauliflower. As for spatchcocking…a good pair of poultry shears does the job easily.
Appreciate this Leslie!
I asked my butcher to butterfly the chicken for me when I bought it which made the prep for this meal practically non-existent. It took all of 10 minutes to slice up the cauli steaks, mix up the mustard sauce & smear it on. I put it over a little mesclun when serving because I had to use it up, and the mustardy drillings (along with a squirt of lemon juice) went on that, as well. Such a simple and delicious meal.
But the real reason I reviewed this is because I NEVER thought to use the green parts of the cauliflower. You learn something new every day! Thank you for that tip!
Awesome Sarah! Glad you enjoyed.
My question is not related to this recipe. Do you have a way to see and share the videos on your recipes?
Are you not seeing them? Is it possible your ad blocker is switched on?
This was wonderful! Even though it’s midsummer and hot here in Florida, I was craving a comforting chicken dinner roasted in the oven. This was perfection. I seasoned the cauliflower with sage and thyme and oh, my goodness the flavor was amazing with the chicken drippings. The mustard coating on the chicken really mellowed out after roasting and gave a great flavor to the chicken. Thank you again!
So happy you liked this recipe Diane!
What are the nutrition facts on this recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Ellen, I just added them- thanks!
Love this recipe-delicious!
So happy you enjoyed it….a favorite over at my house as well!!
I made this during the Superbowl. Only takes a little prep time then off to the oven. It came out excellent. The whole grain mustard gives a nice pop to the chicken. I added a sliced red bell pepper to the cauliflower/onion mix just to add a little color. Another good thing is it is just one pan so it is a quick clean up.
I’m you liked this one Terry, yes it’s an easy one, especially with the simple clean up!
I would love to try this chicken breasts instead of the whole chicken? thoughts?
Hi Jodie- Bone-in, skin-on Chicken Breasts would work fine. If using boneless though, the chicken will cook much faster than the cauliflower, so you would have to roast cauliflower a bit first ( 15 mins), then add breasts. Hopefully this makes sense. 😉
This was amazing! I was really surprised by how much flavor everything had with so few ingredients. I would most definitely make it again. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious, and I’d never thought of doing cauliflower like that – thanks for the tip!
It is SO easy and the cauliflower turns out so good!! Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.